Why Summit Center?

Did you know that bright kids can also have learning, social, or emotional challenges?

Does your child have difficulty learning, despite being smart and working hard?

Is your child having trouble paying attention and staying organized?

Are you concerned about your child’s level of stress and anxiety?

Do you think your child is being misdiagnosed?

Are you wondering if your child is gifted?

If you can answer YES to any of these questions, we can help. Summit Center provides educational and psychological assessments, consultations, and treatment for children, their parents, and families. We work with all kids — including those who are gifted, those with learning challenges, and those who are both gifted and have challenges.

Collaborative, Strengths-Based Approach
Our staff has expertise in the areas of learning, processing, emotional, behavioral, and developmental issues. We use a strength-based approach to find out what is “right” with your child, while also identifying and understanding your child’s weaknesses and challenges. While many evaluators work alone, Summit Center utilizes a team approach to our evaluations and capitalizes on the strengths of multiple professionals.

Specialists in Gifted and 2e
Many people think of gifted children as smart kids who get along fine because everything comes easy to them. This is a myth. In fact, many gifted children, although very intelligent, struggle in many ways. They often are misunderstood, do not fit in with peers, may be teased and bullied, or might be bored in school. They can be intense and sensitive – and may be misdiagnosed with issues they do not have.

Summit Center understands that gifted kids are at risk for underachievement, and social and emotional issues. Many of them have learning, processing, emotional, and behavioral issues in addition to be gifted. These kids are called “twice-exceptional” or “2e” because they are both exceptional due to their advanced cognitive development, but also exceptional because of another issue – such as ADHD, dyslexia, Asperger’s Disorder, or anxiety. 2e kids usually are not detected, and therefore often do not receive support for their gifted abilities or deficit area because they cancel each other out.

Finding a Solution
Summit Center can help parents understand their child’s unique needs. We can help those who feel overwhelmed with parenting, and offer solutions when a child is just not fitting in socially or demonstrates challenging behaviors. The Summit Center can provide a formal evaluation of strengths and challenges, and help both parent and child develop strategies to cope with their challenges. Consulting with our psychology and education experts is also a great way for parents to find out about support groups, educational options, and other local resources available to families for different types of children.

More Than Just Kids
Many adults may find that they are still suffering from experiences and challenges that affected them as children. Others find they are experiencing new challenges related to finding their passion, identity, parenting, relationships, career, and more. Having a hard time concentrating at work? Do you care that your spouse, colleagues or supervisors just don’t seem to “get” you? Has your child been diagnosed with something that you suspect you also have? We provide a broad range of services for gifted adults, including consultation, testing, counseling, and more. We can work with you on issues related to giftedness and beyond, such as sensitivity, intensity, and social skills.